Hart's War

Starring: Bruce Willis, Colin Farrell, Terrence Dashon Howard, Sam Worthington
Directed by: Gregory Hoblit
Rating: R
Genre: Action, War
2002

Times Seen:
Tim: 1


Summary:In a NAZI P.O.W. camp, things get out of hand when a captured black Tuskeegee airman (Terrence Dashon Howard) is accused of murder. A law-student Lieutenant (Colin Farrell) is chosen to represent him, and the hearing will be presided by the ranking U.S. prisoner (Bruce Willis). What starts as simply a murder trial soon turns into an show of heroism, courage, and patriotism.

Review:

Tim: On paper, this film looked impressive. It starred Bruce Willis, who has been battle tested time and time again, and has made some incredible films. It also featured newcomer Colin Farrell, who has been nothing less than spectacular. It is a film about war, heroes, and courage. What looks impressive, however, soon reveals its true colors.

The first hour and a half of this film, I found myself asking every few seconds, "What the heck is going on in this film?" I don't think the plot was so much above me that I couldn't grasp what was going on, but rather, that the film doesn't fully explain what is happening, and you find yourself confused and very frustrated. By the end of the movie, you pretty much have a decent idea of what is happening, but the confusion of the first half of the movie will not leave you.

What is a story of heroism and courage ends up being a muddled mess. The film leaves you with more questions than answers, as you try to understand how and why certain things happen. Hart's War also gives you the impression that nothing you are watching could ever happen in this world. Maybe in some quasi-galaxy in the sixth dimension maybe, but not here on earth. First of all, the NAZIs are portrayed as fairly decent human beings. Now, I'm not saying all NAZIs were evil (although I do hate the bastards), but I am certain they did not act as friendly toward the U.S. prisoners as they did in this film. I oftentimes wondered if the producers of this film realized the NAZIs were the bad guys, or what. It was confusing.

I should mention some positives. Bruce Willis gave a decent performance. It is very similar to his performance in The Siege. He plays the good guy but bad guy well. He isn't spectacular in any sense of the word, and this comes no where to being his best performance, but its not a bad role, and Willis plays it well. Up-and-coming star Colin Farrell does an excellent job. I first saw him in American Outlaws, and I knew immediately I was watching something special. His performance here isn't as good as his previous one, but it truly is exciting to watch. Farrell gives the role his all, and that effort shows up on screen. He makes the movie his own, rather than having Willis steal all the spotlight. After seeing this film, I have even more respect for Farrell, and I have a feeling he will be around for a long time.

Looking back over this film, I really can't recommend seeing it. It has some positives, but many more negatives. If you do see this movie, it'll be for Farrell's performance, as well as the examination of heroism under pressure. However, I should warn you, because the film is confusing as all hell, which makes it frustrating. You can take a chance on this film if ya want, but don't say I didn't warn you.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating- 5.5



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: Black Hawk Down, The Siege, American Outlaws, The Thin Red Line, Saving Private Ryan, We Were Soldiers